Postsplenectomy sepsis 10 years or more after operation

Three new cases (two fatal) of postsplenectomy sepsis occurring 14, 25, and 26 years after operation for hereditary spherocytosis are described. There are now 25 cases in the published work in which this complication occurred 10 or more years after operation, 14 of which were fatal. The mean age of onset is 37 years. The features of the disease are similar to those seen in other postsplenectomy infections, and pneumococcal infection was responsible in 19 cases (76%). The major predisposing illnesses were trauma, hereditary spherocytosis, and idiopathic thrombocytopenia.